If This Is It
by PrioritiesSorted
Summary: "He wanted to drink in her features, remember every element of her face just as it was – perfect." One Shot.


_**A/N - So... the film's kinda ruined this story, but if we're going by the books, this is what I think happened in the Chamber of Secrets before Mr Kloves got in the way... **  
><em>

_And I'm so scared I might forget,  
>Just don't want this to end just yet,<br>Not just yet._

_But if I had one chance to freeze time_  
><em>And stand still and soak in everything,<em>  
><em>I'd choose right now.<em>  
><em>And if I had one night where sunshine could break through and show you everything,<em>  
><em>I'd choose right now,<em>  
><em>Before the fears that I once had start coming back... again.<em>

Footsteps echoed through the silent tunnel, their quiet breathing disturbing the stagnant air that had remained untouched for five years. Not even rats inhabited that part of the castle, though the beast that had haunted it was long dead. Now Ron and Hermione, their every atom aching to flee, entered the chamber. The great serpent that lay across their path stared blankly up at them, sockets that had held deadly yellow eyes now contained only bloody mucus that had dried as it ran down the face of the Basilisk. Hermione shivered, and Ron instinctively put an arm around her. Other than the eyes, the rest of the snake's body was intact, as the absence of any other life in the chamber had slowed its decay.

"So are we just going to..."

"Take the teeth out."

"Right." Ron took a deep breath and bent down to stare the thing in the face.

_It's dead, Weasley. Dead. _

"It looks so... alive." Hermione whispered and Ron sighed.

"Helpful, Hermione. Really helpful."

"Sorry." She said immediately, "I'll be quiet."

"That'll be a first." Ron grinned, and Hermione's cheeks tinged pink. It was almost the first colour he'd seen in them since they went in search of Horcruxes, the obvious exception being when she'd nearly cursed him to a jelly. He tried not to think about that too much; the guilt involved still ate away at his insides.

As soon as he grasped the first tooth and wrenched it from the body before him, Ron wished Hermione had continued. The sound of the dead gum squelching around the fang, followed by the wet pop as he finally detached it was enough to make his stomach turn. Hermione's face had blanched again and Ron attempted a sheepish grin as he held up the tooth.

"One down, thirty one to go."

"Thirty... Ron, you aren't going to pull them _all _out?" Hermione breathed.

"Of course not, you're going to help me." Ron told her, though did not expect her to roll up her sleeves and drop to the floor next to him.

"Right. I just grab it and pull?"

"Err... It's probably easier if you twist it at the same time." Ron said, unable to tear his eyes away as she concentrated on winding her hand around the smooth white tooth, he'd seen that look, studied it so many times before as she sat in the Common Room pouring over books and parchment. Every time, he had wondered what was going through her head. Determined, she gritted her teeth and pulled. The tooth came away with a sharp crack, and blood spurted out, splattering Hermione's front. For a horrible moment, he could see it – the thing he dreaded most in the world - Hermione lying on a cold floor, pale and lifeless and covered with blood. Suddenly, all he wanted was to keep her away from danger, even if it meant hiding in the chamber and abandoning the others to the forces of Voldemort. He was jerked from his reverie by a sound alien to Slytherin's chamber: a soft laugh. Hermione was giggling to herself, staring down at the fang in her hand.

"You didn't twist it." Ron pointed out, and she nodded.

"I should really listen to you more." She admitted, and Ron let out a low whistle.

"Could I trouble you to put that in writing?" He joked, before adding, "Though, in all fairness, it's usually a good idea not to... I really do talk an awful lot of crap..."

"Well... it's not _always _I mean, sometimes you can be..." She stammered, and Ron shook his head.

"Don't rupture yourself, 'Mione. It's all right. Besides, we need to get the rest of these out." He said, retuning, businesslike, to the dead snake.

"Wait. Are we really going to need more than one for the cup and one for the diadem? If we ever find it." She sighed, and Ron stopped dead, his hand still curved around the tooth of the Basilisk. After a long moment he tuned to Hermione, whose brown eyes were large with tears.

"Hermione Jean Granger, I have never heard you be so pessimistic. You're meant to be the brightest witch of your age, for Merlin's sake! With your brains and Harry's guts we can win this. We can. And we want to take all of these out just so we've got back-up. Plus, we don't know that we'd be the only people to think of coming down here. Who knows what could happen if the Death Eaters get hold of all this venom." He explained as he felt his ears start to burn red. Hermione was smiling at him in a way he'd never seen her smile before, as if he was the only thing in the world that mattered to her.

"That's very... sensible of you, Ron." She said quietly, taking another fang in her hand and twisting it gently until it came away with another sickening pop.

"Like this?"  
>"Yeah, just like that." Ron smiled.<p>

It didn't take them long to rid the Basilisk of its numerous sharp fangs and when they had done, Hermione gathered half of them into a pile and picked them up in her arms.

"Come on. Let's get out of here."

"Wait a minute." Ron insisted, "We've still got come unfinished business with this cup." He dug into his pocket and produced the tiny golden cup. He held it at eye level for a second before placing it on the floor of the chamber and looking meaningfully at Hermione.

"Ron... I... you were the one who thought to come down here... you should be the one to do it." She insisted, and there was no mistaking the fear in her eyes as she stared down at the golden cup.

"No, Hermione. We wouldn't even be at this point without you. I probably wouldn't still be alive to have thought of it without you. You should do it." Ron told her gently. Though he knew that what he was saying was true, most of the reason he wanted Hermione to destroy the thing was his own cowardice. He couldn't face that voice again, the one that told him how little she cared for him, how she preferred Harry, just like everyone else. He hated himself for it, but at the same time, he knew that it was the right path regardless of his personal weaknesses.

"Just, do it quickly. Don't let it in, Hermione." He told her, holding out a single tooth. She took a deep breath and took the offered weapon with a shaking hand. Kneeling on the hard stone, she grasped the tooth in both hands and raised it above her head. Ron heart was in his mouth when, for just a second, she hesitated. He saw tears in her eyes again as she dragged in deep breaths.

"Don't listen to it, Hermione." Ron whispered, and her dark brown eyes met his blue ones for a just a second before she brought the tooth down on the cup. She let go with a yelp of pain as a blood curdling scream echoed through the chamber and the cup began to melt. By the time the scream died down, Hufflepuff's cup was nothing more than a twisted lump of gold.

Ron turned, beaming, to Hermione, only to see tears making tracks in the dirt on her face. Without thinking twice he folded her in his arms and let her sob into the front of his already filthy shirt.

"You did it, 'Mione. You did it. And whatever that bastard was telling you, it isn't true. None of it is true." He pulled back and tilted her face so she as looking him in the eye.

"This is You-Kn... _Voldemort _we're talking about. Do you honestly think he's a good person to tell you about yourself, or anyone you know?" Hermione shook her head mutely, and Ron released her.

"That's right. So don't you think on it, Hermione." He said with a grin, provoking a tiny giggle from Hermione in return.

"Do you really think we can win this?" she asked, her tiny voice filling the empty chamber.

"Yes." He replied at once, "We have to. For Sirius and for Mad-Eye and for Dobby. That's why we have to fight."

An enormous smile broke out across Hermione's face, and for the second time that day he felt his heart leap into his throat. In that moment, what Ron Weasley wanted more than anything else in the world was to freeze time. He wanted to drink in her features, remember every element of her face just as it was – perfect. He knew, instinctively, that he couldn't keep her down here because they needed her in the Battle, needed her skill and her passion if they had half a hope of victory. But still, that most terrible of thoughts still lingered in the back of his mind and he wanted to remember everything about her, because he couldn't stand the thought of forgetting. He had to take his chance now. He wanted to tell her everything – that he loved her, that he'd always loved her, even if he didn't realise it until he'd seen her glide into the Great Hall on Krum's arm. He wanted to tell her that even as he realised he loved her, he knew she could never feel the same – she was with _Viktor Krum _– why should she settle for him? He wished he could articulate all the love and the hurt and the guilt that had accumulated within him over the last seven years. He wished he could do more than open his mouth like a fish and stutter,

"Uhh... 'Mione... I..."

"What?" She asked absently, gathering the fangs back into her arms.

"Please... keep yourself safe, in the Battle, I mean." He said eventually, "I couldn't bear it if you... if something happened."

Hermione smiled again, shyly.

"Nothing's going to happen, Ron." She assured him, "I promise. Now come on, we need to get back to Harry."

"Yeah..." Ron sighed as he followed her back down the tunnel. "Harr****y."

**_A/N - So what did you think? I do so like reviews :)_**


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